When Team USA general manager Bill Guerin named the U.S. Olympic men’s ice hockey team on Jan. 2, the second guessing began.

It was mostly the 4 Nations Face-Off team, which was impressive but lost to Canada in the final. There were a few others, such as Quinn Hughes, who had been named to last year’s team but couldn’t go because of an injury.

Tage Thompson was a welcome addition, as was Clayton Keller. But why were big-time scorers Cole Caufield, Jason Robertson and Lane Hutson left off while J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck of the struggling New York Rangers were brought back?

Guerin said he was building a hockey team, not an All-Star team.

Well, he was right. The United States won its first gold medal since 1980, beating Canada 2-1 in overtime, completing an impressive year for USA Hockey’s top national teams. There was a women’s hockey gold, also against Canada, a men’s and women’s world championship and a sweep of the women’s Rivalry Series.

Here are the winners and losers of the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics:

WINNERS

Jack Hughes, USA

The Devils star had to overcome so much to play in the Olympics. He rehabbed from last year’s season-ending shoulder surgery, had a freak accident at a team dinner that required finger surgery and also missed games leading into the Olympics. He joined brother Quinn in Milan, made sweet passes in the Latvia win, scored twice against Slovakia and had the golden goal against Canada. Naturally, he did it after an injury, getting high sticked and losing a tooth in the third period.

Auston Matthews, USA

The inability of the Toronto Maple Leafs to get far in the playoffs has led the city’s tough hockey media to question the team’s stars, including captain Matthews. Well, Matthews was named the USA’s captain, just as in the 4 Nations, and he now can respond that he can lead a team to victory.

Connor Hellebuyck, USA

Last year, he won the Vezina Trophy and got a rare goalie Hart Trophy win. But he was pulled in three games on the road against the St. Louis Blues in the playoffs. Can’t win a big game? Well, the USA doesn’t win on Sunday without Hellebuyck, who made 41 saves.

Sending NHL players to the Olympics

The hockey was great, especially in the quarterfinals, when three games went to overtime. But the best was the gold medal game. Canada pressed and looked like it was going to rally and win for the third game in a row. But the USA eventually prevailed against a heated rival. Best on best is the best way to do the Olympics.

WINNER AND LOSER

Connor McDavid, Canada

The 4 Nations overtime goal scorer had an impressive tournament and was named MVP after scoring 13 points, a record by an NHL player at the Olympics. But the award was bittersweet because Canada won silver, not gold. It’s the second time he was given an individual prize when his team came in second. He was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2024 after the Edmonton Oilers lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers.

LOSERS

Sidney Crosby missing the final

When the Canada-USA game went to overtime, it brought back memories of Sidney Crosby’s golden goal in 2010. No chance of that, though. The Canadian captain was injured in the quarterfinals, when he was hit hard twice. He missed the semifinals and couldn’t make the final and try to win his third gold medal. And now the Pittsburgh Penguins will have to figure out if he’ll miss part of the stretch run.

Los Angeles Kings

They made the big trade for Artemi Panarin and were looking for him to boost their offense enough to get back in the playoff hunt. But now they suffered a setback because Kevin Fiala broke his leg in a loss to Canada, had surgery and will miss the rest of the regular season. NHL owners are concerned about players getting hurt at the Olympics and it happened in varying degrees to Fiala, Crosby, Josh Morrissey and Mikko Rantanen.

Pierre Crinon, France

He delivered a questionable hit on Nathan MacKinnon, leading to a scrap with Tom Wilson. The International Ice Hockey Federation prohibits fighting and could have suspended him, but it didn’t. The French team did, though, saying: ‘Pierre Crinon’s provocative behavior when he came out of the ice, even though he had just been excluded from the match for a fight, is a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport.’

3-on-3 overtime

There were four overtimes in the knockout round and theoretically, they could have lasted 10 minutes, and 20 minutes or longer in the gold medal game. But the longest overtime was 3 minutes, 27 seconds. That’s because of 3-on-3 play in overtime. The NHL uses it in the regular season but switches to 5-on-5 in the postseason. That’s because it knows a crucial game shouldn’t be decided by something gimmicky. The IIHF should rethink its position for the 2030 Olympics.

Four soccer matches in Mexico have been postponed in the wake of the death of a powerful drug cartel leader near Guadalajara, one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup this summer.

Mexican drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera, who’s known as ‘El Mencho,’ died Sunday, Feb. 22, from injuries suffered in a shootout with Mexican officials that also killed six other cartel members.

The resulting civil unrest forced soccer officials in Mexico to postpone two top-tier matches indefinitely − Queretaro vs. Juarez FC in the men’s league and Chivas vs. America in the women’s league − and call off a pair of second-division matches.

After reports of El Mencho’s death, suspected cartel members blockaded highways with burning cars and torched businesses in more than half a dozen states. 

The Mexican national team has a friendly scheduled against Iceland on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the Corregidora Stadium in Queretaro. The status of that game is still in limbo.

Meanwhile, organizers of the Mexican Open men’s tennis tournament in Acapulco said the event would begin Monday as scheduled under established security protocols.

Guadalajara is scheduled to host four World Cup matches in June, including two involving South Korea. Co-host Mexico, Spain, Uruguay and Colombia will also play there.

Kara Braxton, a former WNBA All-Star who played 10 years in the league, has died, the league announced on social media. The cause of death was not given. She was 43.

‘It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton. A 10-season veteran, Kara played with the Detroit Shock, Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time,’ the WNBA shared on X.

Braxton was drafted No. 7 overall in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Detroit Shock. She was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team after averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds. A 6-foot-6 power forward, she would go on to win championships in 2006 and ’08 with Detroit.

She played in Tulsa, when the Shock relocated, and also spent time with the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty. Braxton also played overseas in Poland, Turkey, China and Italy through the 2017-18 season.

Born in Jackson, Michigan, on Feb. 18, 1983, Braxton attended high school there her freshman year before transferring to Westview High School in Portland, Oregon. She was named Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. She played college basketball at Georgia for two-and-a-half seasons before being dismissed from the team by then-coach Andy Landers for undisclosed reasons.

Braxton worked for Nike in Oregon after her retirement from professional basketball before moving to the Atlanta area. Her son, Jelani Thurman, was on the 2024 Ohio State national championship football team. He played tight end.

Braxton is survived by her husband, Jarvis Jackson, and her two sons, Thurman and Jream Jackson.

With crucial friendlies against Belgium and Portugal coming up next month, several key U.S. men’s national team players are trending toward making the roster with no injury concerns.

There was positive injury news for three players who are set to play a vital role at the World Cup this summer, as Ricardo Pepi, Tyler Adams and Christian Pulisic all took steps forward over the weekend.

That trio’s return to health leads off this week’s Five.

Ricardo Pepi back with a bang

Ricardo Pepi was back ahead of schedule from a broken arm on Saturday, Feb. 21, and the PSV striker picked up exactly where he left off.

Pepi found the net with a brilliant long-range strike only minutes after coming on against Heerenveen, providing the insurance goal in a 3-1 win for PSV.

The striker had scored in five consecutive league matches when he suffered a broken arm on Jan. 10, which PSV said would keep him out for two months.

But Pepi returned a couple weeks early, which PSV coach Peter Bosz attributed to his strong mentality.

‘I believe that if you have a positive mindset, that contributes to your healing,’ Bosz said ahead of the game. ‘Ricardo Pepi when I was with him in the hospital was all about getting back on the field as soon as possible. He wanted to play football again. I think that helped him in particular.’

Tyler Adams back in the mix

Pepi wasn’t the only key USMNT player back on the pitch over the weekend, as Tyler Adams made his first appearance for Bournemouth since December in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with West Ham.

Adams started and went 66 minutes, putting in his usual strong defensive work in midfield with three duels won, five clearances, two tackles and five defensive recoveries.

The 27-year-old suffered an MCL sprain on Dec. 15 that Bournemouth said would sideline him for 2-3 months.

Adams wasn’t ahead of schedule like Pepi, but came in right at the two-month mark. That will give him plenty of time to get back in the swing of things before the USMNT’s March friendlies.

Christian Pulisic looks healthy in frustrating loss

Sunday may have been the death knell for AC Milan’s title hopes, but it also had some positive individual news for Christian Pulisic.

Pulisic started his first game in a month for Milan, which saw a 24-match unbeaten run snapped with a shocking 1-0 home loss to Parma.

With 10 points between them and first-place Inter, the Rossoneri may have to settle for a Champions League berth in what has still been a solid bounce-back campaign.

After dealing with bursitis over the past month, Pulisic was active in his return to the lineup. The 27-year-old had three shots on target and two chances created, and may have had multiple goal contributions on a different day.

The key for Pulisic now will be to stack a few starts together as he still chases his first goal contribution of 2026.

Folarin Balogun bounces back

We highlighted Folarin Balogun last week after he extended a lengthy dry spell with Monaco.

Balogun had gone 11 of 12 games scoreless before a week where he was at his deadly best against the two top teams in France right now.

First there was a midweek double against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, giving Monaco an early two-goal advantage it could not maintain in an eventual 3-2 defeat.

Just a few days later in Ligue 1, Monaco pulled off the exact reverse feat against first-place Lens. After going down two goals, Balogun scored to spark a furious second-half comeback that culminated in a 3-2 victory for the principality side.

Balogun’s goal output has been augmented – or limited, depending on your perspective – by his streakiness. After another long drought, the 24-year-old will hope the floodgates are now open.

Brenden Aaronson returns to earth

Brenden Aaronson was named Leeds Player of the Month for January, but there probably won’t be an encore this month.

Aaronson took his usual place in Leeds’ starting lineup against Aston Villa on Saturday, but couldn’t get much going before he was removed in the 73rd minute of a 1-1 draw.

The game at Villa Park marked the seventh in a row without a goal contribution for Aaronson, who scored three goals in January.

Aaronson has still had an excellent bounce-back campaign overall for Leeds, tallying four goals and three assists while contributing his usual strong link-up play and defensive work.

But if there was any notion that the goals and assists would start flowing after his prolific spell in December and January, the last month has dispelled that idea.

The latest installment of the NBA’s most historic rivalry was staged Sunday, Feb. 22, with Jaylen Brown leading the Boston Celtics to a 111-89 victory over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on the road.

Brown nearly produced a triple-double, compiling 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes of play.

He has taken over as the primary option for Boston since Jayson Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on May 12, 2025.

Brown was named the NBA Finals MVP after the Celtics won the championship in 2024, but James believes there’s a case to be made for Brown to be mentioned in this season’s MVP race.

‘This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about as well,’ James said of Brown after Sunday’s game. ‘Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season. And he’s averaging what, 30? Just under 30? It’s a popularity contest sometimes, I tell you.’

Brown is averaging 29.2 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season. He’s fourth among NBA players in points per game this season.

The MVP conversation has largely been dominated by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), the winners of the prior two MVP awards.

‘It’s an honor to play the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. It’s an honor for LeBron, who’s arguably the best player to ever play the game, to give me some high praise,’ Brown told reporters after the game. ‘So, I’m just grateful.’

James and Brown were teammates during the NBA All-Star Game mini-tournament earlier this month at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Who is considered the NBA MVP favorite?

Odds via BetMGM, as of 1 a.m. ET Monday morning:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-140)

Nikola Jokic (+310)

Cade Cunningham (+500)

Victor Wembanyama (+2500)

Luka Doncic (+4000)

Jaylen Brown (+5000)

Donovan Mitchell (+10000)

Anthony Edwards (+15000)

Jalen Brunson (+20000)

MILAN — If the headlines and captions look the same and seem redundant, it’s because they are. This happens every Olympic Games now, winter and summer, for the U.S. Olympic team:

‘Girl Power.’

‘The Women’s Olympics.’

‘Team Title IX.’

As the 2026 Winter Olympics have come to a close, for the third consecutive Winter Games, U.S. women have won more gold medals and more medals overall than U.S. men. The final tally here in Milan: American women won six gold medals and 17 medals overall. The U.S. men? Four golds and 12 overall. Two other gold medals and four overall (the U.S. ended up with an historic 12 golds and 33 overall) were in mixed gender events. 

This mirrors what is happening in the much larger Summer Olympics, in which U.S. women have won more golds and more medals than U.S. men for the past four consecutive Summer Games, going back to the 2012 London Olympics. In Paris a year and a half ago, U.S. women won 65% of the 40 gold medals won by Americans (26-13, with one won in a mixed gender event.) And they won 68 medals overall to 52 for the men, with six in mixed events. 

‘It’s always exciting to see the women of Team USA rise to the top of the podium,” U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. ‘In Milano Cortina, they’ve competed with dominant strength and confidence. We’re proud not only of how they perform, but how they represent Team USA off the field of play — especially as veterans mentor rookies and carry forward the values that define the United States Olympic Team at the 2026 Winter Olympics.”

The reason for all the U.S. women’s success? It’s Title IX, the law signed by President Richard Nixon in June 1972 that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports and created the mindset of opportunity and participation that dominates American youth, high school and college sports to this day. 

Consider what the U.S. Olympic team would look like without Title IX. Without the law pushing high schools and colleges to add girls’ and women’s sports over the past five decades, there would be very few if any women’s NCAA hockey programs, or soccer, softball, basketball or volleyball for that matter. And without those women’s college teams as the feeder system for the U.S. Olympic team, there would be far fewer medals for the United States at Winter and Summer Olympic Games. And even in those Olympic sports that aren’t traditional college sports, Title IX’s empowering influence on American culture has had a significant impact on all U.S. female athletes.

The world has noticed for quite some time. At the 2012 London Summer Olympics, which was the first time women outnumbered men on the U.S. team and the first time they won more gold and overall medals, British prime minister David Cameron said his country needed to encourage more competitive sports opportunities in schools, just like Title IX in the United States.

With the emergence of U.S. women’s professional sports leagues, allowing athletes to compete and train far beyond their college days, the dominance of American female athletes is all but certain to continue for years to come.

‘These Olympics have showcased the global impact of Title IX more than 50 years after its passing,” women’s sports legend Billie Jean King texted USA TODAY Sports on Sunday. ‘One of the biggest indicators of the power of the legislation is the establishment of professional sports leagues, like the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which provides women athletes opportunities to continue to compete after the Olympics and make a living playing the sport they love. These opportunities in the future are why it is important we continue to protect the legislation and intent of Title IX for all.’

King, who helped provide funding and support for the PWHL, said 61 players from the league competed in the Milan Olympics and 39 were in the gold medal game won in overtime by the United States over Canada.

Another reason more women’s medals are being won is because there are more medals for women to win. There was a time when the International Olympic Committee and the federations of worldwide sports refused to allow women to compete in as many events as men in the Winter and Summer Games. That’s changing; during the 2026 Olympics, the ratio of female to male competitors narrowed to as close to 50-50 as it has ever been in the Winter Games: 47% women, 53% men, according to the IOC. 

The long climb to allow women to compete in events that have been male-only in the Winter Olympics has just a small ways to go now: The only event in which men competed here, but women did not, is Nordic combined.

So give U.S. women opportunities their grandmothers never had, thousands of college teams to play on and professional opportunities that didn’t exist a decade or two or three ago — and they will not be the only ones to benefit. The nation’s Olympic fortunes will too.

USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour contributed to this report.